PARIS — Virgin Atlantic said Monday(14 January 2008) that it would conduct a demonstration flight next month of one of its Boeing 747 jets using biofuel — the first airborne test of a renewable fuel by a commercial jet.
The airline, founded by the British billionaire Richard Branson, said a 747-400 plane would make the one hour and 20 minute journey from London Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam in late February using 20 percent biofuel and 80 percent conventional jet fuel. The test, without passengers, is part of a joint research project announced by Virgin, Boeing and the aircraft engine maker GE Aviation.
The airline declined to identify the source of the biofuel, though Paul Charles, a Virgin spokesman, said the carrier had rejected fuels derived from crops like palm oil because of the huge land area that would need to be devoted to cultivation for fuel production.
“It will be a very sustainable fuel source,” Mr. Charles said, adding that its production would not compete with food or fresh water resources.
GE Aviation said the test plane would be configured with one of its CF6 engines, which would not require any modifications to burn biofuel. The new fuel would also have no effect on the engine’s performance or range, the company said. Boeing says its 747-400s are capable of flying up to 7,260 nautical miles, or 13,450 kilometers.
Mr. Branson has also joined forces with Al Gore, the Nobel laureate and former vice president, to finance a $25 million prize for finding an effective way of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
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